Casement window latch



Oct. 10, 1939. 0, w ROBERTS 2,175,485

CASEMENT WINDOW LATCH Filed Nov. 5, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 10, 1939.o. w. ROBERTS CASEMENT WINDOW LATCH Filed Nov. 5, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2E am Patented Oct. 10, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CASEMENT WINDOWLATCH poration of Illinois Application November 5, 1938, Serial No.238,934

2 Claims.

My invention contemplates and provides certain improvements which, forthe first time to my knowledge, make commercially practical a type ofcasement window latch in which a casement sash is engaged at pointsapproximately midway between the extremities of its unhinged verticaledge by a horizontally disposed vertically movable latch pin operablefrom and by a handle which is located on the. casement 1 frame, andbeneath the sash, at a point where it does not interfere with theinstallation or removal of, or extend through, a fixed inside windowscreen or inside storm window covering all of the ventilated area of thecasement window frame.

The improved latch of the present invention is suitable for use inconnection with either single or double ventilated casement windows, theaccompanying drawings showing the invention applied to a typical steelcasement window of the double ventilated variety.

Important features and advantages of the latch of the present inventionare the small number of its component parts and the ease and economy oftheir manufacture, assembly, and

installation.

Another salient feature and advantage of the present invention residesin the fact that the rock shaft of the operating handle of the latch isappropriately and eifectively mounted and journalled in a lowerhorizontal member of the casement frame without the necessity for anymounting bracket attached to the casement frame.

Still another important feature and advantage of the present inventionresides in the simplicity of the means and arrangement of parts wherebythe latch pin-bar, and the latch pin or latch pins carried thereby, areappropriately guided in their vertical movements on, in and relativelyto a vertically disposed element of the easement frame, i. e., theseparating bar or mullion between the proximate unhinged vertical edgesof a pair of casement sash forming component parts of a doubleventilated casement window.

Another important feature and advantage of the present invention residesin the specific manner in which a pair of latch pins cooperate with eachother to effect their appropriate location on 5 and attachment to thelatch pin-bar by which they are both carried and operated.

A further and very important feature and advantage of my inventionresides in the simplicity and effectiveness of the specific arrangementand 55 cooperation of parts wherein rotary movements of the latchoperating handle and the rock shaft of the latter are translated intovertical movements of the latch pin-bar.

Other features, objects and advantages of the present invention willappear from the following detailed description, wherein reference ismade to the accompanying three sheets of drawings, Wherein- Fig. 1 is aninside elevational view of a casement window of the double ventilatedvariety to 10 which the improvements of the present invention have beenapplied, this window being equipped with a more or less conventionalscreen which covers all ventilated area of the casement frame;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken in 15 the horizontal planeof the line 22 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction indicated by thearrows;

Fig, 3 is a vertical sectional View taken in the plane of the line 3-3of Fig. 2 and looking in 2b the direction indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken in the plane of the line 4-4of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken in the 25 plane of the line 55of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken in the plane of the line 66of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; and 30Fig. '7 is a horizontal sectional view taken in the plane of the line'l'l of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views. 35

The casement window depicted in the accompanying drawings comprises theusual rectangular frame fabricated from the horizontal bottom bar ill,the horizontal top bar I I, and the vertical side bars l2 and I3, all ofsuch frame bars con- 40 veniently being substantially Z-shaped in crosssection. The frame also includes the intermediate vertical bar ormullion M which cooperates in the usual manner with the proximatevertical Z bars l5 of casement sashes i8 which have their 5 remotevertical edges appropriately hinged to the window frame for outward andretractive movements pursuant to operations of conventional or othersuitable outwardly swinging sash operators indicated at IT.

In Fig. 1 the entire ventilated area of the casement frame is covered byan inside screen l8 comprising a frame which is attached to the casementframe by screws or in any other suitable manner. An inside storm windowof substantially the same size and shape as the screen may besubstituted for the latter in cold weather.

I shall now proceed to a description of the improved latch with whichthe present invention is concerned. This latch may be said to comprise,essentially, three simple units, each presenting certain features ofnovelty, these three units being (a) the handle unit, (5) the latchpin-bar unit, and (c) the keeper unit (of which two are employed in adouble ventilated window).

The handle unit comprises the handle 19 having an integral cylindricalhub 28 which abuts against, and is adapted to turn on a horizontal axiswith respect to the inner surface of lower bar IU of the window frame,at a position which is adjacent to the lower end of mullion l4 andbeneath the frame of the screen l8 (or inside storm window). with a rockshaft 2! which is formed from one pieceof .metal and comprises theportion 22 of greatest diametenthe journal portion 23 of intermediatediameter, the serrated or radially toothed portion 24, also ofintermediate diameter, and the portion 25 of least diameter. Suchportion, 25 is internally threaded as at 25 to cooperate with screw 27,whereby portion 25 of the rock shaft is held in bore 28 of the handlehub and the serrated or toothed portion 24 of the rock shaft is held inlocking engagement with the wall of counterbore 29 of the handle hub.

With the journal portion 23 of the rock shaft extending freely butsnugly through a circularaperture 39 in frame bar 50, and with shaftportion 22 and handle hub 28 bearing snugly but lightly against theinner and outer faces of such frame bar ID, the handle unit is operablymounted on and in the frame bar It) without the aid. of a mountingbracket of any kind. This consideration naturally makes for cheapness inconstruction and ease of installation.

Carried by and projecting laterally from rock shaft portion 22 is a pin3|. One end 32 of the pin is reduced in cross section and extendsthroughand is riveted in the rock shaft portion 22. The other end of the pintapers, as at 33, down to a cylindrical tip 34 of relatively smalldiameter.

The latch pin-bar unit consists of a metal bar 35 which is disposed inthe channel presented by mullion I 4 and is held against the mullionweb, for vertical sliding movements relatively to the mullion, by a pairof shoulder screws 35 which extend through vertically elongated slots 31in bar 35 and engage in the mullion web.

Carried by the upper end of bar 35 and projecting from opposite facesthereof are the cy lindrical latch pins 38 and 39. It is imperative thatpins 38 and 39 be in exact axial alignment and that their attachment tobar 35 shall not materially weaken the latter which is desirably andnecessarily formed of light and relatively narrow metal stock.Therefore, I provide pin 38 with a greatly reduced cylindrical portion49 which extends through corresponding bores in bar 35 and pin 39 to beupset as shown at 4| (see Fig. 3). Pin 38 is longer than pin 39 becausebar 35, lying as it does against the mullion web, is closer to one ofthe sash bars 15 than it is to the other. A slot 42 is formed in the webof mullion M to permit Vertical movements of the shorter latch pin 39.

Attention is particularly directed to the fact that the lower end of bar35 is turned away from the mullion web, as indicated at 43, and then Thehandle hub 28 cooperates extends straight downwardly in spaced relationto the mullion web, as indicated at 44 (see Fig. 3). The portion 44 isprovided with a short narrow slot 45 which receives the reducedcylindrical extremity 34 of the handle unit pin 3|.

I shall now describe the keeper units. Two of these are employed in thedouble ventilated window which is depicted in the accompanying drawings.Each keeper unit consists of a sheet metal strip 46 secured by screws 41to the outer surface of the web of one of the sash frame bars l5 at apoint substantially midway between the upper and lower ends of thelatter. Each keeper strip 46 is provided with at least one latch pinengaging flange 48 and a latch pin engaging clutching element 49 whichis in the nature of an integral extension of the flange 48. However, inorder that each of the keeper strips 46 may be applicable to either ofthe two sashes, it is preferably provided with two flanges 48 and twoclutching elements 49-the two clutching elements presenting theircamming surfaces in opposite directions. However, it is only thedownwardly facing clutching element, and its associated flange 48, whichfunctions when, as preferred, the raised positions of the latch pins 38and 39 are their locking positions and the lowered positions of suchlatch pins are their non-locking positions.

Turning of handle I 9 in the clockwise direction causes lowering of bar35 and downward recession of. pins 38 and 39 from the flanges 48 andclutching portions 49 of the sash carried keepers, thereby unlocldng thesashes. Subsequent turning of the handle 19 in the counterclockwisedirection results in raising movement of bar 35 and causes each latchpin 38 and 39 to engage first the downwardly presented clutching elementof its cooperating sash carried keeper, and then the flange 4B of whichsuch clutching element 49 is an integral extensionto press snugly toclosed position, and then to latch, the sash by which such keeper iscarried. Of course, both sashes are pressed to closed position andlatched simultaneously as the consequence of one counterclockwisemovement of the handle unit, and similarly both sashes are unlatchedsimultaneously as the consequence of one clockwise movement of thehandle unit.

Having thus illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of myinvention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

1. In a latch for a double ventilated casement window, a rock shaftextending through the frame of such window and supported therein at aposition which is adjacent to the lower end of a vertical mullion alsoforming a part of such window frame, an operating handle secured to theinner end of the rock shaft, a lateral projection at the outer end ofsaid rock shaft, a latch pin-bar retained for sliding movement withinthe channel of the mullion, the lower end of said latch pin-bar beingcambered to extend away from the web of the mullion channel, and a slotin such extended end of the latch pin-bar which is engaged by thelateral projection at the outer end of said rock shaft.

2. In a latch for a double window, a rock shaft adapted to extendthrough the lower horizontal bar of the window frame and supportedtherein at a position which is adjacent to the lower end of a verticalmullion also forming part of such window frame, an operating. handlecomprising a portion which receives ventilated casement sash-carriedkeepers, the lower end of said latch pin-bar being cambered to extendaway from and lie in spaced relationship to the web of the mullionchannel, and a slot in the lower end of such latch pin-bar which isengaged by the lat- 5 orally extending outer end of the said rock shaft.

OWEN W. ROBERTS.

